The 35'7" Jeanneau NC11 was one of the most innovative boats on the market when she was introduced a couple of years ago. What made her so different was her furniture on deck which could be used for two three functions. We are now seeing that concept copied by a number of builders in different size boats, thus putting their stamp of approval of on the concept of dual-use seats. She comes in single or twin engine configurations which means she can economical to operate but still get on plane.

Key Features

Volvo Penta Sterndrive Joystick available

A spacious, open cockpit with central bench seating and twin accesses to the swim platform

Direct access from the cockpit to the saloon through individual-panel sliding glass doors, for a maximum opening width

Direct side access to the helm via the wide, secure sidedeck

Large glass panels in the roof, with an opening glass sunroof, for panoramic views

Warm, contemporary décor

Panoramic views of the sea (windows in the hull, glass panels) from the saloon and cabins

A bright, spacious saloon, entirely open to the cockpit, with a wrap-around sofa and a bench seat for two at the helm, facing the sea

A galley perfectly integrated into the interior design of the saloon

An owner’s cabin with a view of the sea and private walk-in closet

A head with separate shower compartment

A second cabin with a view of the sea and 2 single berths

Specifications

Jeanneau NC11 (2014-) Specifications

Length Overall

35' 7'' 10.85 m

Dry Weight

12,368 lbs. 5,610 kg

Beam

12' 2'' 3.73 m

Tested Weight

N/A

Draft

2' 9'' 0.90 m

Fuel Cap

185 gal. 700 L

Deadrise/Transom

N/A

Water Cap

66 gal. 250 L

Max Headroom

N/A

Bridge Clearance

N/A

Prices, features, designs, and equipment are subject to change. Please see your local dealer or visit the builder's website for the latest information available on this boat model.

Engine Options

Jeanneau NC11 (2014-) Captain's Report

The NC11 is a compact cruiser with plenty of storage space under the salon deck. Note the separate shower stall in the head.

The Mission of the NC11

The "new concept" is to have a boat that can be a cruiser, a watersports platform, a small cottage on the water, or a day-boat entertaining platform. It is also designed to be economical to buy and operate and to that end she is available with either a singe sterndrive engine or twins. This is all made possible because much of her furniture performs double duty. Check out report below and see how.

A Stern Difference

The aft deck of the NC11 is designed for entertaining in the cockpit or watersports off the swim platform. When the bench seat is in the aft position as seen in the drawing above there is plenty of room on the deck for table and two or three directors chairs for a cocktail party, al fresco dining, or just hanging out.

Move the bench seat forward and now there appears a large stern platform, known in large motoryachts as a "teak beach." In that configuration the boat makes a large swim platform, a sunning deck, or a launch side for scuba diving. In this mode it also is a 'mini marina" and when friends come to visit in their tenders there is plenty of room to get them aboard.

Casual anglers might even use the platform for light-tackle fishing. Why not?

Here you can see how much space is available when the cockpit seat is moved aft. Two full deck hatches allow for access to the twin Volvo Penta D3 diesel sterndrives and the optional generator.

We also liked the standard teak decking that runs from the aft end of the deck to the aft end of the salon. Teak decking is also available on the side decks.

Two notable options are available for this deck area; one is a retractable awning from the aft end of the coach roof, and the other is a full enclosure.

The aft seat slides fore and aft to provide more room in the cockpit -- or, more room abaft the seat on the "swim platform." Here it is fully forward adding to the swim platform space.

With the cockpit bench seat forward there is about 3' (.91 m) of fore-and-aft room on the stern platform. Storage under the seat can be access from both front and back.

Cockpit Space

Moving forward in the cockpit we have a few more interesting features. First, to be clear, we use the term cockpit to denote the space forward of the gates. Again, it's on the same level so these gates and the aft seat are all that differentiate this area from the stern platform.

There is a triple-wide, forward-facing bench seat that has the requisite storage underneath, with access from the back of the bench as well.

With the seat moved back, there is access to the deck hatches covering the engine compartment. Jeanneau accommodated room for not only the twin Volvo Penta 5.7L sterndrives, and the optional 5kw generator, but copious amounts of storage space as well. Jeanneau's mindset towards safety was evident not only from the 33" (83.8 cm) rail height, but from the standard manually operated bilge pump nestled in the starboard bulwarks.

Speaking of side decks, the NC11 has an asymmetrical layout. There is considerably more width the the side decks on the port side than the starboard. This has much to do with the side entry door to port but we'll get back to that shortly.

Main Salon

Sliding glass doors will allow access to the main salon. I was impressed that these weren't just glass panels that accommodated an opening at one side. With one panel open there is entry to the port side with a companionway leading straight to the forward cabins. But with a crowd onboard, that just won't do. So Jeanneau mounted the doors to open from either the left or the right side. The four panels compress into the space of one door in either direction and lock in place.

I noticed that there is an aft settee seat that is pretty close to the starboard doors so why the opening from that starboard side? The answer is in the fact that aft seat has a flip-back and now there is more seating in the cockpit. Since the salon and cockpit are on the same level there is easy flow and no stumbling.

The storage on the far bulkhead holds plates, cups, and silverware. This eliminates the need for cabinets over the galley, which means more natural light and better visibility.

Under the starboard bulwarks are two stools that tuck out of the way when not in use. This allows dining for six at the salon table.

This settee wins the BoatTEST.com award for the world's most versatile and clever dinette/settee. It can do almost anything except deal cards.

The forward seat flips over and elevates to allow your guests to share the same view as the captain. A very clever arrangement and great use of space.

An Incredible Booth-type Dinette

Back to the settee. Here there is booth-style seating, flip the outboard leaf of the table up and now two more people can sit facing to port.

But again, this boat begs for a crowd. Do we bring deck chairs in for dining for six? Not hardly. All the way under the starboard bulkhead are two stools tucked out of the way. Pull them out and there is comfortable seating for six at a sizable dining table. Another brilliant use of space, and my stock in Jeanneau was climbing steadily. But I'm not done...

Above those seats in the starboard bulkhead is storage for the incidentals needed during mealtime. Silly things that become afterthoughts on other boats, like plates and silverware. I really liked this storage area which is wasted on most boats.

The table also pivots to allow even more room to move around, and by unscrewing (by hand with large knobs) the base from the deck, it can be moved against the starboard bulkhead, perhaps for a buffet table, or out to the aft deck for dining.

Galley/Credenza

As the times that one will be spending cooking are limited, the galley is rather concealed in a sort of credenza over to the port side. Rich woods give an impression of class to the salon area, even with its Spartan fixtures. Opening a hinged lid reveals a standard gas stove top (electric is optional), and I was pleased to see the underside lined with stainless steel for protection. A center hatch opens to expose a single basin stainless steel sink.

This piece of furniture actually houses all of the galley equipment. Since most of the time it will not be used, why have it open and exposed. In this manner it can serve as a side table when entertaining.

The galley is hidden under a wood counter that doubles as a backsplash. All of the basic equipment is here.

Context is everything and this publicity photo puts the galley/credenza in proper perspective.

Even without overhead cabinets there is storage for the necessities of life onboard but not, it seemed, for an extended cruise. Having to go grocery shopping at every stop on a coastal cruise is out of the question, so where is all the room for dry storage?

The Wine Cellar

Rolling back the carpet runner reveals two deck hatches that led to what I can only describe as storage cellar. Here there is enough space to store a month's worth of food and dry goods. Off to the sides of the cellar tucked out of the way, are the optional air conditioning pumps and ancillary equipment. The forward compartment also accommodates pull-out storage drawers (think Plano) that are locked into place with little dogs that rotate into position.

The Magical Helm Companion Seat

The forward settee seat flips 90-degrees to create a forward-facing companion seat -- the back becomes the bottom and the bottom now becomes the back. Now it's facing forward, and because the mounting system is so clever, it is now roughly the same elevation as the captain's seat.

This makes a double wide seat that has a perfect forward view out the front window. There's even a small shelf just ahead of the seat for holding "stuff". It just doesn't get any better than this.

The aft salon seat reverses for converting to cockpit seating. Notice how the glass doors open extra wide from the right. This makes the cockpit an excellent entertainment area.

Lastly, the entire dinette converts into a berth for overload guests more or less in the conventional manner.

A second storage "basement" lies to the forward section of the salon. This one even accommodates storage drawers that lock into place.

The Helm and Joystick

As for the helm: There's an electronics package available consisting of a Raymarine C90 widescreen for GPS and depth readouts and a 4kw digital radar as well, but neither were on our test boat. The panel is pre-designed to accommodate the displays. We did have the dual Volvo Penta EVC displays, but that didn't stop Jeanneau from adding a complete array of analog gauges, a fact that I always appreciate.

We also had Volvo Penta's digital engine controls that added a host of features such as engine sync, cruise assist and single level controlability. But the frosting on the cake was the optional Volvo Penta sterndrive joystick. It brought close quarters maneuverability to a professional level for anyone who may be lucky enough to be in control of the helm.

The helm offers plenty of open space for electronics. Notice the sterndrive joystick just ahead of the engine controls. I love the opening side door right at the helm. The two buttons overhead are for opening and closing the sunroof.

While the sunroof provides 35 sq ft (3.25 sq m) of open space, you'd have to be taller than me to use it to stand at the helm and see forward.

Because the helm is on an elevated platform it negates the ability to stand while operating. There just isn't enough headroom, but those skippers who insist on standing, can stand next to the helm. The alternative is to open the electric retractable sunroof. This presents 35 sq ft (3.25 sm) of open air over the entire forward half of the salon. However, that still wasn't adequate to allow me to stand at the helm. My 5' 8.5" (1.74 m) had me looking right at the forward frame of the sunroof. Frankly, I didn't care. I was more than comfortable sitting with my foot on the door sill next to me.

A-door-able

And that leads us to another one of the unique features of this NC11, the portside midships door. We were testing this boat on an oppressively hot Florida day, and opening that side door was literally a breath of fresh air. It closes watertight, and slides aft to open so it doesn't take up any side deck space to operate.

With the side door at the helm, I was able to lay up against the dock and reach over the rail to tie up to the midships cleat. Could there be any better testament to the NC11's single-handing appeal?

Accommodations

The forward accommodations are accessed by a center companionway. To starboard is the guest stateroom with twin side-by-side berths, and a filler cushion will join them into a single queen sized berth. Thankfully, there's a privacy door instead of a curtain, and natural light is allowed in via opening port lights. The single head is located across the companionway from the starboard stateroom.

The forward accommodations feature an island berth with ample storage underneath, two opening portlights and an overhead hatch. But as if this boat didn't have enough unexpected features to it, the master stateroom also has a walk-in closet.

The mid cabin to port has twin beds and with the filler cushion shown here makes into a queen-size bed. Importantly, there is standing head room at the entrance to this stateroom.

Performance and Handling

Now between the 10-15 winds and the wakes of the camera boat, we managed to find our fair share of waves to test the mettle of this cruising boat. And I'm here to tell you that it was sufficient to allow me to feel comfortable getting caught in a storm and getting me back safely -- the boat felt that good under my feet.

Now will it be entirely comfortable.... probably not, but that's another matter. As for the comfort, she seemed to handle seas best at about half throttle. This allowed the NC11 the room and agility to go through the waves rather than up and over, so that made for a better comfort level. Considering that this is primarily a coastal cruiser, this it the sort of handling should be fine in most conditions.

Tall friends will be the least of your concerns onboard the NC11.

For the complete test numbers click on the "Test Results" tab at the top of this page. WOT speed was over 36 mph, best cruise was 26 mph.

At the Dock

In the twin configuration the NC11 comes with Volvo Penta's sterndrive joystick (as standard by the way) and it made handling a dream at the dock. There are two power settings and I needed them both for this docking as we had a stiff wind running with a fair tide across the dock. So it was high power to maneuver to the dock, and low power to lay up against. But, where this boat really shines was because of that convenient side door, and the midships cleat right next door, I was able to lay the boat up portside to, AND reach over the rail to tie the boat up single handed. Now that's an admirable quality for a cruising yacht. For a single-hander, or even a cruising couple, this is an adept boat with a lot to offer.

We think the NC11 is a "do anything" boat, and the most innovative we have seen in a long time. Not sliding door is to starboard.

Here we have the sliding door panels to port and the booth dinette seat back forward in cocktail party mode.

Observations

Like many boats from Jeanneau the NC11 base boat is configured for day cruising, entertaining and low-cost operation. With a propane stove, single sterndrive engine the NC 11 will have significant range. She is particularly capable on the rivers and many of the canals in Europe to say nothing of the Baltic Sea, Med, and the numerous archipelagos in that part of the world. In North America she is suited for coastal work from the Alaskan panhandle to Cabo and from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas, or down island.

By outfitting an NC11 with twin diesels, a generator, an electric stove top, microwave, air conditioning, ice makers and the like, she can be a comfortable cruising boat for a family or two couples used to speed and creature comforts. With a top speed of over 31 knots she will be able to keep up with boats in the annual yacht club cruise and possibly be the preferred boat upon which friends would like to hang out at day's end.

Even with twin Volvo Penta 200-hp D3 engines she has a range of 317 nautical miles at 15.3 knots with a 10% fuel reserve. At that speed she gets nearly 2 nm per gallon (nearly 1 km per liter). That is pretty economical cruising in the fast lane when we look at other diesel powered boats in class to say nothing of gasoline-powered boats.

Jeanneau NC11 (2014-) Test Result Highlights

Best cruise for the Jeanneau NC11 (2014-) is 14.7 mph (23.7 kph), and the boat gets 2.23 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.95 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 371 miles (597.07 kilometers).

Jeanneau NC11 (2014-) Warranty

Jeanneau NC11 (2014-) Warranty Information

Warranties change from time to time. While BoatTEST.com has tried to ensure the most up-to-date warranty offered by each builder, it does not guarantee the accuracies of the information presented below. Please check with the boat builder or your local dealer before you buy any boat.